Destinations

Saimaluu-Tash holds over 10,000 Bronze Age rock carvings at 3,000m in Jalal-Abad. Here’s what it takes to actually reach it.

Fired-brick buildings, a mill and a six-hectare cemetery sit one to four metres under Issyk-Kul. What divers found, and why an earthquake…

Hot springs, a red sandstone gorge, and an old caravan pass road on the lake’s quiet south shore — an easy day…

At-Bashy is the last real town before Tash-Rabat and the Torugart Pass: kok-boru culture, homestays, and transport from Naryn.

An honest take on Toktogul reservoir: the best highway viewpoints, the famous white sainfoin honey, swimming reality, and where to break the…

Two drive-up gorges above Issyk-Kul’s north shore: horse rides, kymyz stalls, a scenic loop road, and what the entry fees actually buy.

Chatyr-Kul is a remote 3,530m lake near the China border in Naryn — a Ramsar bird wetland that needs a border-zone permit…

Kyrgyzstan supplied up to 95% of the Soviet medical industry's plant material. The trade still runs, by hand, and you walk past…

Bishkek sits on a semi-desert plain and is one of the leafiest capitals anywhere. The reason is an open ditch running down…

Above 3,000m the herds change. What yaks give a Kyrgyz household, where to see them, and why snow leopard conservation runs through…

Tokmok sits an hour east of Bishkek: the gateway to Burana Tower, a working Dungan mosque, and a transport hub you can…

Suusamyr is the high-altitude pasture you cross on the Bishkek–Osh road: jailoo life, paragliding, horse riding, and honest limits on stopping.